Dialed In Podcast 022 ~ Surviving Lymphoblastic Leukaemia with Fabian Bolin

Fabian COVERS - NEW.png — In this episode we **Dial In** with CEO and Co-Founder of War on Cancer App, Fabian Bolin. After being diagnosed in 2015 with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, Fabian began documenting his cancer battle on a blog, which made him realize the true power of storytelling and how sharing his story helped him cope with his ‘cancer trauma’. This almost two hour episode covers his journey, dealing with trauma, how to be resilient, trust, and so many more inspiring insights. This is not one to miss!

KEY TAKE-AWAYS

We start off by hearing Fabian’s story, beginning with the time that we met (were roomies) at acting school in hollywood! We then get into his journey through business school in London and then finding his way back to acting. We then dive into the deep end of talking about Trauma and Fabian very eloquently explains what trauma is and how the process of trauma happens. He talks about how the act of addiction is chasing artificial needs. “We humans are born truth tellers, if we don’t ‘speak’ the truth, we will act it.”
We hear about the day that Fabian was diagnosed and the emotions that came along with that. He talks about his journey through treatment, and sharing his story and where the idea of where The War on Cancer App came from. We talk about the importance of embracing adversity and to how to channel it for inner growth. “If I hadn’t been diagnosed with cancer, I would have died (from addiction). So Cancer came to me to shake me and then throw me in the right direction. Super heavy price to pay but still, it came ‘for’ me”. “Those traumas are calling you back, because they are an entrance point that are calling you back for inner growth.”
He talks about the importance of finding the right therapist.
He talks about the power of TM (Transcendental Meditation). Gradually you become a vehicle to transcend.
We then get into talking about the War on Cancer App. The App really addresses the mental health side of cancer. In today’s system, when one is diagnosed, they are given the treatment plan and the rest just goes silent and the patient is left to ask, “Well what about my mental health”. And then they go on without knowing that they are traumatized. He explains the different aspects of mental health and the various important parts of it, which includes things like emotional well-being, having a good community around you. We talk about fligh-fight-freeze and falling into depression. What makes WOC unique is that they aim to lift the voices of patients. Through the years of working with Cancer care they have gotten in touch with a large sector of cancer care. Most people going through cancer, feel like they are treated by everybody. Drug companies develop treatments and drugs without talking to patients first. Because WOC has built a platform for people to come when dealing with cancer, it can also let their voice to be heard.
We talk about the importance of having resources available when one is diagnosed.
We also talk about listening and the importance of just listening. (Yet it’s so difficult to do). We talk about what real listening is. It’s difficult to not become distracted in the world. When you lean into it (listening to your heart), you’ll notice that things just fall into place, and you might just discover your life purpose.
We then talk about Trust and Resilience and standing your ground through the experience. Trust is the fuel. If you don’t trust the experience it’s going to be tough to have the resilience.
Fabian then gives us some tips on wellness and how we can best use our time right now. He then tells us how he dials in.

I hope you all enjoyed this episode as much as I did, thank you so much Fabian for sharing your wisdom with us!

ABOUT FABIAN

After being diagnosed in 2015 with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, at 28 years of age, Fabian began documenting his cancer battle on a blog, which made him realize the true power of storytelling and how sharing his story helped him cope with his ‘cancer trauma’. Sharing his story helped him to process what he was going through, emotionally and psychologically, but also gave him a sense of purpose that he had never felt before. This, together with a strong urge to help others affected by cancer, became the foundation for the War On Cancer app – a digital support tool for everyone affected by cancer.

War On Cancer is a tech company aiming to radically improve the wellbeing of everyone affected by cancer, with a focus on mental health. The War On Cancer app is a digital support tool that provides proven coping mechanisms for dealing with cancer. These features include connecting with others who can relate, journaling, sharing their story, and helping others. The app also amplifies the patient voice in cancer research through in-app studies, making it easy for members to contribute their insights and improve the future of cancer care.

EPISODE RESOURCES